This F32 training proposal seeks support for a three-year program of research and training to be carried out at the University of Chicago and NORC under the guidance of Linda Waite. The goal of the research is to examine what marriage means in order to explore how meanings operate as causal factors in larger patterns of family formation and dissolution. Its specific aims are (1) to specify aspects of what marriage means by identifying the common and defining elements of marriage as it is understood and conceptualized by those involved in it and by those involved in other kinds of romantic relationships, (2) to specify which aspects of meaning are captured by current attitude and behavior measures included in major marriage/family/house-hold data sets, and (3) to design a survey instrument using the findings established through the first two aims that measures the full range of what marriage means. Fifty subjects will provide both survey and in-depth interview data. Textual data will be coded and analyzed using techniques for content analysis; constructed variables from this content analysis and survey data will be analyzed using factor analysis and regression techniques. The findings will help us understand why people marry and how cultural meanings shape behaviors and decisions within and about marriage.